Knotted Anglican Rosary Instructions

Praying the Anglican rosary is a contemplative practice for many across the world. Also called Anglican/Episcopalian prayer beads, the Anglican rosary includes elements of both Orthodox and Catholic traditions and includes 33 beads that represent the 33 years of Jesus Christ's life on this earth. Many choose to make their own knotted rosaries as a special activity or to give as gifts. Here are some simple instructions to help you make your own Anglican rosary.

Start with a light cord or piece of twine that measures about 15 feet long. Leave about 1 foot at one end for the finishing knots. Hold the 1-foot end in your left hand and the long end in your right hand.

Point your left index finger and loop the long end over this finger tip. Then bring it up and over your finger back toward your hand, making an "x" shape. Loop two more times in the second direction.

Carefully slide the loops toward your finger tip until you can fit the long end of the cord under the loops and pull it through from the near side. Gently pull the knot until it's tight then pull it harder to make sure it will stay in place.

Make seven basic beads, followed with a cruciform knot. For the cruciform knot, use the same method as you would with the small knot, but wrap five times in the second direction instead of just three. Repeat this sequence of seven small beads and a cruciform two more times, then add seven more small beads, for a total of 31 beads at this point.

Hold the beaded rosary in your left hand with both ends in your right hand. Use both cords together to form the last knots, close to the other knots. Loop both strings once away from you and twice toward you, then push both ends of the cord through the loops, creating the last cruciform bead. Repeat this process for the last bead, called the invitatory. At this point, after the first loop, thread a crucifix or cross bead onto both cords, securing it in the middle of the knot. Carefully trim the ends of the cord.

There are no set prayers for the Anglican rosary. However, you should start with a prayer for the cross, another for the invitatory, and then work your way around the circle using one prayer for the single beads and another for the cruciforms. One repetition of the rosary includes 34 prayers. If you repeat the rosary three times without repeating the cross, you will say a total of 100 prayers.